


Patience is a Virtue

by inkouragement



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, POV Outsider, POV Third Person Omniscient, Pining, at least at first, for the second part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 20:12:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11493912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkouragement/pseuds/inkouragement
Summary: Seamus asks Ron for advice on his feelings for Dean. Months later, he remembers that conversation and acts accordingly.





	Patience is a Virtue

**Author's Note:**

> The two parts of this work were written about a year apart. I was in very different moods while I wrote them, which is why stylistically they are quite different. I feel weird about this fic, so I might take it down later to rewrite it, but for now I'll upload it because I'll forget about it otherwise.

“Merlin, Seamus, that's a lot to spring on a guy!,” Ron said. It was just the two of them sitting in the dorm room. Neville was frantically trying to finish his Potions homework in the Common Room aided by Harry and Hermione, and Dean was, as was often the case lately, at the Quidditch pitch with Ginny.  
“Sorry, man. I couldn't tell Neville or Harry, is all- Neville'd go blabbing to Dean immediately, and Harry's been... distracted, 't say the least.” Seamus looked at Ron apologetically. “I just... I needed some advice,” he concluded.  
“That's like going to see Snape for advice on personal hygiene, or human decency,” Ron said. “I know nothing about romance,” he admitted miserably. He had sometimes wondered what would happen if he told Hermione- but that was out of the question. As evidenced by last year's Yule Ball debacle, she would never see him as more than a friend. Ron had no idea how to change that, nevermind helping Seamus figure out his respective crush on his best friend.  
“Bloody girls– or, well, in your case...”  
Seamus said nothing, but stared at Dean's weird Muggle poster, which still hung creepily motionlessly at the head of Dean's bed.  
“Oh well,” Ron said, vaguely sensing that Seamus was upset, “I'd much rather have Dean date you than Ginny.” He grinned, hoping Seamus would join in his joke and stop being so uncomfortably emotional.  
“Believe me, mate, me too,” Seamus said as he continued fidgeting. Hermione would know exactly what to do right now. Ron could almost hear her lecturing him about 'empathic capabilities' and 'supporting your friends'. Couldn't Seamus have gone to her with this? At least Hermione had dated someone before, even if it was that arsehole Krum. Meanwhile, Ron remained as pathetically girlfriend-less as he had been all throughout his years at Hogwarts. Still, he had to say something. He did care about Seamus, and the idea of Seamus dating Dean really did seem infinitely more palatable to him than the current reality, in which Ginny and Dean were disgustingly insistent on snogging at every available opportunity.  
“You should go for it. Tell him, I mean,” Ron said awkwardly. He rubbed his neck while trying to think of some kind of justification for this advice. Merlin, even Crabbe and Goyle would have been more thoughtful, and Ron still wasn't even sure they were capable of Malfoy-independent thought. Before he could conjure up anything intelligible, Seamus already had his response ready. “You mean I should tell my best friend, the one I have to share a room with for the rest of my school life, the one who, might I add, is currently dating a girl, that I'm in love with him? Tell me, how d'you think that's going to play out?,” Seamus exploded. “D'you think that he's just going to be fine with that? I've shared a bed with him! Bloody hell, he's gonna think I've been creeping on him- or worse, he'll pity me!” Seamus had gotten up from where he had been sitting on the bed, and had started pacing the dorm room in frustration. Ron was alarmed to see smoke starting to curl off the fringes of the curtains on Neville's bed, and got up to grab his friend by the shoulder.  
“Mate,” he said, “I've known Dean for more than five years now, and I know that he wouldn't treat you any different. It'll be good for you to...” Ron swallowed and thought of the doubtlessly endless nagging Hermione would subject him to if he fucked this up. “It would be good to... share your feelings with the class. And by class I mean Dean. Your best friend, who you love,” he said. He gave Seamus' shoulder a shake, just for emphasis. The smoke didn't disappear, but didn't seem to be getting any worse either, which Ron counted as a victory. “Look,” he said, as he attempted to douse the smouldering curtains. “It's not like he's just gonna... I don't know, stop hanging out with you. He's – shit, _aguamenti_ – he's really fond of you. You're his best mate, he's not gonna stop liking you just 'cause you _like_ like him.” Ron stepped back from Neville's water-soaked bed to admire his handiwork.  
“Reparo,” he added, when he noticed the singed edges of the drapes. They grew back almost evenly, and Ron hoped Neville wouldn't notice.  
“I can't tell him, and you definitely can't tell him for me,” Seamus said, suddenly alarmed. Ron almost felt offended by what Seamus was insinuating. He would never betray a friend by revealing their secrets. He had kept all of Harry's increasingly disturbing and life-threatening secrets for years without any difficulty. Without getting sentimental, which was the very thing he was desperately trying to steer the conversation away from, he reassured Seamus of that fact.  
“As if I'd every do that! It's bad enough Hermione keeps trying to get me to talk about my own feelings. I certainly won't be discussing anyone else's.”  
Seamus relaxed visibly and looked at Neville's drenched bed, seemingly embarrassed about the consequences of his outburst.  
“Still, I don't understand the point in asking me for advice if you're not even going to take it,” Ron said, moving the pile of laundry on his chair over to his bed and sitting down. He'd put at least some effort into comforting Seamus about his unfortunate choice in crushes, and he didn't appreciate being ignored – not that he, who routinely ignored Hermione's neverending stream of advice, was one to judge. Seamus looked conflicted. Ron couldn't blame the poor guy – decisions like this weren't easy.  
“Alright, I'll tell him. But I'll wait 'till after him and Ginny break up,” Seamus said, still unconvinced. “If they ever do...”

 

~~~

 

The day after Ginny breaks up with Dean they sit by the lake, Seamus quietly practising his Charms homework and Dean scratching a sketch into his drawing pad. They sit for two hours, neither of them saying much until Dean breaks the silence.  
“I wasn't very much in love anyway, towards the end. Or at all, really. You shouldn't feel sorry for me.”  
Seamus looks up from the ladybug he had been charming to turn yellow.  
“I don't think I do,” he says.  
“Good,” Dean says.  
They sit for another half hour, in which Dean scribbles less aggressively than before and Seamus explodes three ladybugs. They sit side by side, knees and shoulders touching.  
“Gross,” Dean says after the third bug splats, but he snorts with laughter. Seamus' heart jumps at the sound. He remembers a conversation he had with Ron, a few months ago.  
“Hey, Dean?,” he says. His heart beats faster than before.  
“Yes,” says Dean, who doesn't know what Seamus is about to say but hopes for it anyway. His heart beats almost as fast as Seamus'.  
“I'm sorry if this is too soon, even if you didn't like her like that. I think I... Yes, I do like you like that.” He looks shyly at Dean, which is the first time Seamus has ever looked at anything shyly. Dean looks him in the eyes and Seamus' palms start to sweat. Dean kisses him, softly, very much unlike the way he, up until yesterday, would have kissed Ginny. Seamus kisses back, very much unlike the way he had, up until this point, imagined he would kiss Dean back. He feels Dean's hand on his cheek, keeping him close while they continue to kiss, and he moves until their chests are pressed together. They pull apart to breathe, and Dean thinks, _this is what it should be like_ , and Seamus thinks, _this is so much better than I thought it would be like_.

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the last part is unedited and was written within one hour, so if there are any mistakes, let me know. Don't hesitate to comment if you liked it either, it makes my day!


End file.
